A long time ago, it was written....

This is interesting, the global plamsa market is worth $10bln for 2008 and panasonic( which is he base of the bv4 )have a substantial slice of that.  Please explain the procedure that Bang &Olufsen use when 'selecting only the top2% of panels in a factory that produces many millions of units a year?? do they send a man in a white coat- well take 'that one'?? 

Yesterday, it was written.... 

Pioneer's top of the line Elite Signature Series Kuro plasmas are finally officially priced and shipping, ... At 2.5-inches thick, these panels -- hand selected for the deepest blacks and accurate colors --- will fit anywhere you'd like to have them installed, and each unique serial number gives access to a Pioneer website for that specific monitor's certified factory white balance setting.

Ray 

Might be totally wrong, but I would have thought they maybe just ran a separate production line with a tighter set of specifications.  Running one costs more money (due to more expensive tooling and also rejects) but obviously this is not as large a concern for B&O

Ray,

 Are you saying that Pioneer are now claiming to do the very thing which B&O were previously said, in these very forums, to do?  This is a bold statement, Sir, as those here who previously upheld such a claim were roundly thrashed (one hesitates to say castigated) for saying so.

Tread carefully my friend.

Russ 

 PS>  The serial number calibration look-up is kinda nice though, in case you forget to look on the back before hanging the TV. 

Are there any other comparable manufactured goods production processes where a certain percentage of the run is top-sliced and held up as a premium? I don't understand how this is supposed to work...

There has to be some minimal test performed on each panel which could single out both general faults as well as quality grades in order to funnel them through to the various brands which build off the panels. It's obviously built into the "plan" as Pioneer was able to jump on the BeoWagon with very little trouble and buy the way we've been buying for years. 

I also know that whatever happens at the Matsushita factories cannot be fool proof as we send back a certain percentage for credit once we put them through out testing process in Struer. I'm guessing that Pioneer has some similar process when they put their panels through the paces. 

While it may seem mind boggling to assess such vast production streams, much larger industries (food, pharmaceuticals, textiles, etc.) keep very tight control over their products. I think, with an understanding of industrial infrastructure, that it is actually more difficult to imagine that these plasma panels don't undergo scrutiny sufficient to categorize and rate them.  

What happens when Matsushita starts making Pioneer panels, as well?  Will there be TWO people in white coats fighting to see who gets the good ones?  

 

TripEnglish:

There has to be some minimal test performed on each panel which could single out both general faults as well as quality grades in order to funnel them through to the various brands which build off the panels. It's obviously built into the "plan" as Pioneer was able to jump on the BeoWagon with very little trouble and buy the way we've been buying for years. 

I also know that whatever happens at the Matsushita factories cannot be fool proof as we send back a certain percentage for credit once we put them through out testing process in Struer. I'm guessing that Pioneer has some similar process when they put their panels through the paces. 

While it may seem mind boggling to assess such vast production streams, much larger industries (food, pharmaceuticals, textiles, etc.) keep very tight control over their products. I think, with an understanding of industrial infrastructure, that it is actually more difficult to imagine that these plasma panels don't undergo scrutiny sufficient to categorize and rate them.  

Mmm. You'll have to forgive me for being a little sceptical Trip.

I wonder if VW do the same thing with the running gear for their Phaeton and the Bentley Continental Flying Spur, with the 'premium' assemblies going to the Bentley production run?? 

JB,

while the VW/Bentley analogy is OK, I don't think it's a precise match for this issue.  Although based on the same foundational 'architecture', the Bentley pieces are usually built to a different specification than the VW ones, so they aren't intended to reult in identical products. 

Think more about Intel producing dozens of 'identical' chips on a single slice of silicon...then after the fact discovering which ones don't work, and then runnung stress tests on each unit to determine the highest reliable clock speed for each of the rest.  In theory at least it is possible that a 2.0mhz chip and a 2.3mhz chip came off of the same slice.  Some variation is expected, planned for, and sold as such.

Russ 

PS>>  In the old days at Aston-Martin, it was said that if you knew what to listen for, one could tell which of 4 different mechanics had assembled each engine from the exhaust note alone. 

RussR:

JB,

while the VW/Bentley analogy is OK, I don't think it's a precise match for this issue.  Although based on the same foundational 'architecture', the Bentley pieces are usually built to a different specification than the VW ones, so they aren't intended to reult in identical products. 

Think more about Intel producing dozens of 'identical' chips on a single slice of silicon...then after the fact discovering which ones don't work, and then runnung stress tests on each unit to determine the highest reliable clock speed for each of the rest.  In theory at least it is possible that a 2.0mhz chip and a 2.3mhz chip came off of the same slice.  Some variation is expected, planned for, and sold as such.

Russ 

PS>>  In the old days at Aston-Martin, it was said that if you knew what to listen for, one could tell which of 4 different mechanics had assembled each engine from the exhaust note alone. 

 

...or you could simply lift the bonnet and look at the plate with the name of the specific mechanic that built the engine stamped on it.